Posts Tagged ‘Flying Cart’

Since announcing our first winner in the Flying Cart Green Lights Eco-Friendly Stores Giveaway, we’ve had countless questions about Waddlebird. So what is Waddlebird?

Waddlebird is the brainchild of brothers Kevin and Scott Platshon, combining a love of design with the sort of healthy admiration for the natural world common to many lifelong Californians. They have lofty aims for a start-up clothing company: to protect endangered species and their habitat, establish conservation education and awareness programs, and help communities around the world build a sustainable relationship with nature.

In conjunction with Conservation International, Waddlebird has helped to protect 330 acres of environmental Hotspots. “Hotspots are the world’s most biologically rich, diverse and most threatened ecosystems. They make up less than 2% of the Earth’s surface, but contain more than 50% of the plants and animals,” said co-founder Scott. According to Conservation International, at the current rate roughly 1 million species will go extinct between 2010 and 2050. The brothers firmly believe if people are informed about the alarming rate of species loss, they will act.

Waddlebird began with an initial batch of 50 t-shirts, and it exploded from there. Scott describes that early stage: “The response was incredibly enthusiastic and we quickly decided to grow the company by offering more products, establishing an online website and store, building an active Facebook community, and getting representatives at different schools.”

In 2009, Waddlebird donated $2,000 to the Succulent Karoo Hotspot on the Southwestern coast of Africa. In 2010, they contributed $3,000 to the Galapagos Islands Hotspot. All from a percentage of Waddlebird sales. The 2011 location remains to be determined.

The shirts come on 100% certified organic cotton, are printed domestically in the United States to reduce carbon footprint from transportation, and use water-based ink to avoid pollutants without sacrificing quality.

The brothers, age 19 and 25, are fueled by passion. And it has reflected in an organic way with the majority of their customer base being under 26, a group that typically does not contribute heavily to philanthropy. The message on the back of their Classic Long Sleeve shirt reads “because 72 species become extinct every day,” something people of all ages can sport proudly. “And once they’ve received their shirt, every time they put it on they become another method to raise awareness of species extinction,” said Scott.

On the horizon, Waddlebird aims to help create a deeper connection between its customers and the species they’re protecting through eco-tourism and other awareness raising initiatives. “Endangered species focused eco-tourism is a natural evolution of Waddlebird and aligns perfectly with the vision Kevin and I have for the company,” explained Scott. They’ll also be unveiling new products for the winter line and new swimwear products in the spring. The 2011 Earth Day Shirt (April 22) is in the works and Scott claims it to be their best yet.

Next Tuesday, March 24 we will be rolling out some changes to our pricing plans. A fourth level plan, called “Super”, will be added and will allow up to 1000 products. Pro level stores will now be allowed up to 250 products. The Standard and Basic plans will allow 50 and 5 products respectively, as they do now. Customers on the Super plan will pay $59.99 per month, while the prices to the other plans will not change.

Curent Pro customers will be automatically upgraded to the Super plan and will continue paying just $29.99 per month. If you are a Standard or Basic store right now and are thinking about upgrading to Pro, now is the time to do it. Upgrade to Pro before Monday March 24, 2009 and get locked in to the Super plan for the price of Pro.

Why are we restructuring our prices, you ask? The main reason is so that we can focus on smaller stores and continue to offer you a good quality product and personalized customer service. Stores that sell thousands of products benefit from using a more customized solution, as they have more complex technical needs than we can provide at a low monthly cost.

Thanks to all our loyal customers! Please email us if you have any questions about your account.